Sheets, Allred had star-studded time at Senior PGA

Chris Sheets of Staunton, left, poses with professional golfer John Daly during the Pro-Am for the 78th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club on May 23, 2017, in Potomac Falls, Va.(Photo: Traci Edwards/PGA of America)

Most sports fans would be happy to meet just one star athlete on a given day.

Chris Sheets and Wes Allred had that experience and much, much more.

The Staunton residents mingled with the biggest stars in professional golf during the week before the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Course in Potomac Falls.

Sheets and three other invitees were partnered with John Daly for the 18-hole Pro-Am round May 23 and their group wound up winning trophy for the low net score.

Allred, the club pro at Gypsy Hill Golf Course, had a more "hands-on" experience. He worked the practice range for the players during the week before the four-day championship tournament.

The manager of S&W Home Appliances in Staunton, Sheets was one of 70 clients invited by KitchenAid to play in the event. They attended a "picking party" before the event to determine which group would play with one of the 26 pros playing in the Pro-Am.

The table that Sheets and his three partners were sitting at was chosen first, and the consensus was to play with the colorful Daly.

"It was great to play with him," Sheets said "He talked with all of us and was very approachable. At every hole, there were people coming up and asking for his autograph and he was very cordial."

Sheets and his group wound up tied with four other groups for low-net honors, which means they had to match cards to determined the winner. But Daly seemed to have an idea that it would come to that.

"He told us to make sure we birdied the first three holes and the last three in case they had to match cards," Sheets said. "Turns out he was right, because we won."

Sheets said that while he was there, he talked with Allred about his time working with the pros on the practice range.

"He was even giving out tips to the pros," he said. "Wes told me he gave [Tour pro] Scott McCarron about his grip, and he started ripping it, and I think he wound up tied for fifth."

The breakfast before the Pro-Am gave Sheets the opportunity to meet other pros, such as Vijay Singh and Miguel Angel Jimenez as well as Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer, who wound up winning the tournament championship on Sunday.

"It was surreal," Sheets said. "I saw Tom Watson in the hallway near the locker room getting a peanuts-and-raisins mix, and I said, 'How are you, Mr. Watson?' and he said, 'Fine. How are you?'

"These are guys I've been watching for my whole life," Sheets added, "and there I was, sitting down to breakfast with them.

All in all, it was a dream he never dreamed of.

"I love golf and I would say this would be on my bucket list, but it's something that I never thought about," Sheets said. "I always you had to put up a lot of money to get in pro-ams. It was a great experience.a"